This year’s Big Ten tournament carries higher stakes. The Boilermakers were picked as the preseason conference favorite. They held sole possession of first place with a month remaining in the regular season. Yet they stumbled back to Indianapolis as the 6 seed, well off the pace of that coveted third consecutive championship.

If the Boilermakers make a run in the Big Ten Tournament this week, the boost to their March Madness resume could be slight, but still important.

The Purdue Boilermakers lost to Illinois, finishing sixth in the Big 10 standings after a late-game collapse. Their season turnover issues led to missed opportunities, affecting their tournament seeding.

T he Big Ten regular season ended today with Purdue in a three way tie for 4th place. Purdue tied in the standings with UCLA and Wisconsin. This is the 5th straight season where P